2. To implement the project accoding to the construction design of School for Kids at the location where the two sides have jointly surveyed.

3. To facilitate, coordinate and remove the difficulties and obstacles in the process of implementation so that School for Kids complete the works according to the design, assure the quality and efficiency of the construction.

2. Beneficiaries

Teachers and H’Mong students in Lao Lung Tung and Phe Pha hamlets, including:

04 teachers

28 kindergarten students

24 first graders

11 second graders

19 third graders

18 second & third graders at Phe Phà

Students who have completed Grade 3, as are now more mentally and physically mature, will be transferred to the primary school in the center of Lung Ho commune (7km of mountainous road from the villages).

3. Why are we running this project in Lung Ho?

Lung Ho commune of Yen Minh district, Ha Giang province, located 60km from the city, is a poor commune with sparse population. The commune is situated in the palm of the mountains, where 2 years ago there was not even a crushed stone pathway to enter the village. Tough economic conditions made it hard for education and training to receive the their worthy attention.

For years, the students have been studying in very primitive classrooms simply covered by some old wood sheets. This is also where the teachers take a rest between lessons since their houses are too far away.

The classroom for 28 kindergarten students

A classroom for 3rd graders in Lao Lung Tung

The classroom’s wall was simply covered by some old wood sheets which can hardly protect them from tough weather

The primary sub-school was build at the end of the village, next to Mr. Pao’s garden

However, here in the commune, many people are aware of the importance of education. Mr. Pao – a retired official in Laoo Lung Tung village – volunteered to donate the entire section of his farmland to build a school for children in the area, so that the distance of 7km of mountainous road is no longer such an obstacle and a risk to the children on their way to access education. With the enthusiasm of Mr. Pao and the local officials, families in the area had contributed woods to temporarily build a simple kindergarten and a small primary school at the two ends of the village.

In our second time visiting the school, Mr. Pao decided to donate the remaining section of his farmland, which adds up to 160sq.m, enough to build a new school for the children. The new school, to be built in La Lung Tung village, will bring joy to not only children from the village but also students in its neighboring Phe Pha village, only 1km away.

The following video shows images of life of the children in Lao Lung Tung village and the status of their current school:

About the learning spirit in the commune

According to UNICEF’s report, among children under 5 years old only, there are 34.19% H’mong children has never been to school. However, at Lung Ho Commune, as to Sep 2014, they have successfully encouraged 76/164 children from 0 – 2 years old (50,05%), and 686/730 children from 3 – 5 years old (93%) to go to school.

It can be said that Lung Ho Commune is among the most active in encouraging local education for minority children.

4. Expected results

Based on the current situation of infrastructure as well as teachers and students in Lao Lung Tung and Phe Pha, at the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015, we plan to build:

01 classroom for kindergarten pupils (Area: 25sq.m/room)

03 classrooms for students in grades 1 – 2 – 3 (Area: 25sq.m/room)

01 Common room for teachers (Area: 15sq.m)

Total construction area: 160sq.m (provided by local residents)

Construction solution:

Lao Lung Tung village located halfway up the mountain. From the center of Lung Ho commune to the hamlet we have to overcome the distance of 7 km of broken-stoned road and slopes up to 10 % whose width is sometimes just slightly more than 1 meter. There is no qualified construction contractor in the commune, only some households who have simple pulp mills, with which they can make samel bricks. Meanwhile, the cost of raw materials such as cement is too high (100,000 VND/kg). Due to the fact that the conditions for transportation are not favorable, School For Kids selects zinc coated galvalum as material installed by contractor from Hanoi

6. Selected contractor

From October 2014 until late November 2014, the project team worked closely with 3 different contractors and went for site surveys with 2 of them in order to choose the most suitable company. Below is some information of the selected contractor

DVM is a company with rich experience in working with mountainous terrain and Panel-type house. On the next page are some images of the similar projects DVM has done. You can also download full portfolio of the company by clicking the button below

7. Timeline

Duration of the project: September 2014 until early February 2015

Investigation & Site surveys: Make field trips to the village, discuss with local government and residents to truely understand the situations. Research about existing policies and plans of the government and other organizations related to education in Lung Ho commune.

Creating construction design & Finding contractor: Research on different construction solutions. Create construction design. Research and work with contractors to make a final construction plan & estimated budget.

Total estimated budget for the project: 400,000,000 VNĐ (~18,727 USD)

9. Values & Commitment

INSPIRATION

We believe in the power of collective effort from the community toward shared purposes. Crowdfunding is used not only to obtain financial support, but also to crowdsource for ideas, to raise awareness and above all, to connect with ones who care.

SUSTAINABILITY

Before implementing the project, we carefully research on the beneficiaries, project site, the need local people as well as related policies of the goverment and other organizations in order to assure that the project will bring the values that both the team and local people expect.

TRANSPARENCY

All updated information about the project progress (human resources, finance resources, construction plan, estimated budget, etc) is regularly published on the website and sent to donors and anyone who is interested via email.

Every single contribution counts

We are still calling for financial donation and human resource to make the dream of a proper school for children in Lung Ho come true. “Each one of us can make a difference. Together we make change”.

Who is running this project?

We are a group of friends with different jobs and different sets of skills that gathered to share the same passion of contributing to education. You can check out our profiles here and contact us for more details of the project if you need.